Organizing Data into Tables

Raw data is collected through research, through actual scores or values from a questionnaire, survey or assessment. We must decide how best to organize this distribution. This can first be done through a series of data tables. Two of the most common examples are:

 

1. Frequency distribution

• An ordered arrangement of scores that shows each score's frequency

The following data set will be used to construct a frequency distribution:

10, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1

 

Value	Freq
10	1
9	2
8	3
7	4
6	3
5	2
4	2
3	1
2	1
1	1

 

 

2. Grouped frequency distribution

• An ordered arrangement of scores that are condensed into meaningful groups set by the researcher
• Grouped frequencies when there are too many individual data values and/or some individual data values occur rarely
• Frequencies of group occurrence is reported, not individual scores
• Data are grouped into equal-sized ranges called class intervals
• We want the number of intervals to generally be between 5 and 15.
• The interval size should in round numbers (ex: 11-15, 16-20, 21-25).

 

The following data set will be used to construct a grouped frequency distribution:

4, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 7, 8, 9, 4, 7, 3, 6, 9, 10, 5, 7, 10, 6, 8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 4, 5, 10, 10, 0, 9, 8,

3, 7, 9, 7, 9, 5, 8, 5, 0, 4, 6, 6, 7, 5, 3, 2, 8, 5, 10, 9, 10, 6, 4, 8, 8, 8, 4, 8, 7, 3, 8, 8, 8,

8, 7, 9, 7, 5, 6, 3, 4, 8, 7, 5, 7, 3, 3, 6, 5, 7, 5, 7, 8, 8, 7, 10, 5, 4, 3, 7, 6, 3, 9, 7, 8, 5, 7,

9, 9, 3, 1, 8, 6, 6, 4, 8, 5, 10, 4, 8, 10, 5, 5, 4, 9, 4, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 4, 4, 4, 9, 7, 10, 4, 7, 5,

10, 7, 9, 2, 7, 5, 9, 10, 3, 7, 2, 5, 9, 8, 10, 10, 6, 8, 3

 

Interval	Freq
10 - 11	14
8 - 9	41
6 - 7	44
4 - 5	34
2 - 3	15
0 - 1	3

 

*Notice that the highest interval went one value past the highest data point (11)

 

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PRACTICE PROBLEM 1.1:

Use the following data set to create a frequency distribution.

 

4, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 7, 8, 9, 4, 7, 3, 6, 9, 10, 5, 7, 10, 6, 8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 4, 5, 10, 10, 9, 8, 3, 7, 9, 7, 9, 5, 8, 5, 4, 6, 6, 7, 5, 3, 2, 8, 5, 10, 9, 10, 6, 4, 8, 8, 8, 4

 

 

ANSWER 1.1 (mouse-over to check your answer)

  

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